Valentine's Day for the Green Ninja
by SnowflakeShard
Summary: That's just great. Lloyd just found out that his whole team ditched him for the day. The reason? Because it was Valentine's Day. Lloyd was left on his own wandering the streets of Ninjago City, totally annoyed at his misfortune. But after meeting a new friend, perhaps this day didn't turn out so bad after all.
**_I know it's not Valentine's Day. Heck it's not even February. But I can't get this idea out of my head. I always wondered what would happen if Lloyd met someone who'd catch his eye. Hope you enjoy!_**

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Lloyd shielded his face as he woke up to the blinding light coming from the bedroom window. He glanced at the clock and immediately jolted up. It was already 10 am and no one bothered to wake him up. Everyone else's beds were already empty. He immediately slipped into his green ninja gi and headed to the training room. However, something was off. The Bounty was silent. No clanging of metal, no grunts, and none of Jay's unnecessary battle cries. Lloyd peeped inside the training room. Sure enough, it was empty. He made his way inside, hoping that his team mates were just hiding to prank him or something.

"Hello?" Lloyd called out. "Anyone? Come out already , guys. This isn't funny anymore!" He then spotted a small note on one of the training dummies.

"Will be in town today. Got a hot date waiting. Be back later. Happy Valentine's Day. Kai"

'Seriously?' Lloyd thought. Sure it was Valentine's Day but that never stopped any of them from training. Why should this year be any different? 'Oh well. Maybe the others are in the bridge.' Lloyd immediately sprinted to the said room, but when he got there, only silence greeted him. He then found another note posted on the huge monitor near the helm.

"Out with Nya on date. Will be back later. Happy Valentine's Day. Jay"

Lloyd smacked his head. Of course Jay and Nya would be out on Valentine's Day. "Is there anyone on this ship?!" He yelled in frustration. He wasn't annoyed that he was alone on the Bounty, but that no one bothered to tell him beforehand that they all had plans for the day. Again, no one answered him. Well, no one except the loud rumble of his stomach. Lloyd clutched his tummy and made his way to the kitchen. Perhaps his team mates left him at least something to eat. When he got there, he found another note on the fridge.

"Since it's Valentine's Day, I'm going out to try as many cakes as I can. This only happens once a year after all. Cole"

Lloyd snorted. Not even the ninja of earth could resist the pastries the holiday had to offer. Lloyd opened the fridge, scanning the contents. He spots a bowl of cereal, a sandwich and a pitcher of juice, with yet another note attached on the pitcher.

"Good day Lloyd. I'm sorry we didn't wake you up. Sensei allowed us to have the day off since its Valentine's Day, and we decided to let you sleep in for once. Everyone's off to their own agenda including me. However, we left you some breakfast. Have fun on Valentine's Day. Zane"

"What! Even Zane?" Lloyd exclaimed. "If he means everyone, then…"

Lloyd rushed to Sensei Wu's room. The Spirit Smoke was untouched, the room was neatly arranged, and there was no sign of the old man. As Lloyd left the Master's room, he spots another note posted on Wu's door. 'These sticky notes are starting to get on my nerves.'

"Dear nephew, no training for today. I'm off to town to relax myself. Enjoy your day off. Sensei Wu."

Lloyd slumped to the floor in defeat. "I can't believe it! Everyone got up early and left without telling me! And what's with Valentine's day anyway?!" Lloyd gagged at the thought of romance. He maybe older now but the remnants of childhood behavior still lingered within. His stomach growled once more. He stood up and went back to the kitchen to eat the meal left for him. It was delicious.

Lloyd wandered the streets of Ninjago City dressed in his green jacket and grey pants. His head was topped with his fedora, making it seem difficult for passerby's to recognize the green ninja. Ninjago City was decorated with hearts, angels, and all sorts of romantic themes from top to bottom. Neon signs were either pink or red. Angel and heart shaped cut outs laced retail store windows. Lloyd couldn't count how many buildings had the words "Happy Valentine's Day" on them. There were also several stands that had balloons, chocolates, and flowers for sale. People everywhere were walking in pairs, hands intertwined. The sight of it all sent shivers down the green ninja's spine. He decided to get out of the city. When he reached Ninjago City's border, Lloyd stretched and smelled the crisp air as it blew at his face.

"This is much better," Lloyd stretched himself, feeling the sun's warmth. He scanned the area, seeing miles of desert as far as the eye can see. At the corner of his eye, Lloyd spots a lean figure wearing a grey hoodie and jeans, with a maroon cap. He was playing with a soccer ball.

"Hey. Mind if I join you?" Lloyd asked as he approached the youth. The cap wearing guy just stared at him for a moment before giving an answer.

"Sure." He kicked the ball towards Lloyd who caught it with ease. He started to move the ball from one foot to another. Once he got the hang of it, the other kid immediately kicked the ball away from him. Lloyd's head whipped towards the other kid, who began to chase the soccer ball.

"Come on. Show me what you got." He teased. Lloyd chased after his new friend. The two played for hours with Lloyd apparently losing to the new kid, who always managed to steal the ball from him. By the time the sun was high up in the sky, both of them were exhausted. Lloyd lay down on the ground while the other boy sat down. Lloyd removed has hat and fanned himself, letting his blonde locks fly to the wind.

"Hey, aren't you Lloyd Garmadon?" asked his new friend.

"Yeah. That's me," Lloyd replied. "Sorry I didn't say anything. I can't really get around anywhere nowadays without a disguise."

The youth just shrugged. "No big deal. It's not every day you get to play with the green ninja."

Lloyd chuckled. "Hey. I didn't catch your name yet."

"Jack," replied the boy. He then stood up and stretched. "Well I'm starving. I'm heading down to Master Chen's Noodle House for Sa bite. You coming? My treat."

Lloyd also stood up and nodded. His stomach was already growling. Putting on his fedora he followed Jack inside Ninjago City. They were once again greeted with red and pink streamers as they entered Master Chen's Noodle House. Jack put down his soccer ball under the table near the conveyor belt and sat down. Lloyd followed. Lloyd chose a bowl of shrimps while Jack enjoyed a batch of dumplings.

"Hey, thanks for this Jack. I really appreciate it," Lloyd said. "Y'know, come to think about it, had you been a girl, this would have look like a date."

Jack gave a small, yet somewhat awkward Schuckle. "Hehe, yeah I guess so."

"Uhm, you ok, Jack?" Lloyd asked. He could have sworn Jack's cheeks were slowly turning red.

"Yeah, I'm great!" Jack replied, waving it off. He then shifted the topic to something else. "Hey, can I ask you something? Why are you by yourself today? Where are the rest of the ninja?"

"They're all out on dates or trying some good food since it's Valentine's Day. And they didn't even bother telling me yesterday. They just left me notes to find when I woke up!"

"Wow. That's harsh, man" Jack said as he continued to eat. "Well that's Valentine's Day for you."

Lloyd laughed at this. "So does that mean that you don't have a date for Valentine's Day?"

"Nah. Dating's not really my thing. Besides, haven't really found the right person yet."

"Heh, yeah. Same here."

As the two were eating and discussing, a gruff voice boomed from the background. "Hey, Jackie!" Everyone in the noodle house turned their heads to see who it was. It was a tall guy with red hair, wearing a white shirt and cargo pants. He made his way to Lloyd's table.

"Where've you been Jackie? I've been looking all over for you. Didn't you get my message?"

"Apparently not," Jack coldly replied to the guy, not even making eye contact. "I must have left my phone at home."

"Well, no wonder. Now come on. We're leaving." He grabbed Jack's wrist and lead him towards the door.

"Lemme go Vince!" Jack protested as he tried to free himself from Vince's grasp. Vince ignored this as he continued to walk to the door.

"Hey!" Lloyd yelled. Vince and Jack turned to face him. "Why don't you leave my friend alone? He clearly doesn't want to go with you."

At this Vince blinked before breaking into laughter. "'He'? Did you just say 'he'? Oh, man, Jackie you fooled him good!"

"What?" Lloyd asked in confusion. "What'd I say?" Vince walked towards Lloyd, towering over the green ninja's figure. He poked Lloyd's chest in a threatening manner.

"Let's get something straight here, fedora boy. Jackie is my girlfriend. Don't you forget it. And don't bother coming near her again or I will crush you." After saying this Vince turned towards the door leading a now silent and embarrassed S Jackie behind him. Jackie now kept her face low, avoiding eye contact with anyone except the floor. Lloyd, on the other hand, was still processing what Vince had said. This whole time, he spent the entire day with a girl?! He played and lost to a girl?! He got treated to lunch by a girl?! And he didn't notice it at all?

'Wow, that's some observation, Lloyd Garmadon,' he thought to himself, while mentally kicking himself for being so ignorant. He then thought, 'In my defense, she was wearing very loose clothing and had very short hair.' He then shook the thoughts out of his head. He still had to help Jackie get away from Vince. Grabbing Jackie's ball from under the table, he threw it at Vince's head. The ball landed on Vince's head with a loud thud causing Vince to turn around once more. He let go of Jackie's hand and charged at Lloyd. Lloyd smirked at this and dodged a punch Vince was throwing at him. Vince proceeded to keep on punching Lloyd but failed every time. He also didn't notice that as Lloyd dodged every blow, they were slowly moving to the outside of the noodle house. Lloyd then spotted a pile of trash bins nearby and stood in front of them. He then put his hand in his mouth and pretended to yawn.

"What's wrong Vince? That all you got? I'm getting bored already." Lloyd taunted. Vince lunged at Lloyd hoping to pin him to the ground and beat him to a pulp. However, he was too slow for the green ninja. Lloyd simply moved out of the way letting Vince dive head first in the garbage bin. Lloyd then proceeded to walk back to the noodle house, where a surprised Jackie was waiting for him.

"You okay?" Lloyd asked. Jackie just nodded. "Come on." Lloyd led Jackie out of the noodle house. Jackie took her soccer ball and followed Lloyd. They haven't gone far when they heard Vince struggling to get out of the garbage bin. Vince, already in a bigger fit of rage than he was before, ran after them and Lloyd grabbed Jackie's hand and sprinted to the end of the street. Summoning his dragon he leapt on with Jackie. The dragon then took off.

Once they were safe and high in the air, Jackie decided to speak. "Hey Lloyd?"

 **"** Yeah?"

"I owe you an apology for everything that's happened. I'm sorry for what happened back there."

Lloyd looked back at her and smiled. "Hey no big deal. It's what we ninja do. Still, why did you pretend to be a boy?"

"To get away from Vince, except you saw how that turned out. And I'm sorry for not telling you earlier."

"Why didn't you?"

Jackie thought for a moment. "Well, I didn't expect you to show up and hang out with me. I just wanted to spend some time with myself. Away from all that stuff." Jackie motioned back to Ninjago. "And from Vince. But then you showed up. And I thought, maybe, just this once, I could enjoy the day, hanging out with someone who treats me as I am, and not because of my family heritage. Besides, would you have hung out with me if I were a girl? Especially on Valentine's Day?"

"Yeah, perhaps not. Not that I'm against girls or anything."

The two were silent once more until SLloyd couldn't stand it anymore and decided to speak again. "So, what's with you and Vince, if you don't mind me asking?"

"So you don't buy that I'm his girlfriend, huh?"

Lloyd shook his head. "Not a chance. My brother doesn't treat his girlfriend the way Vince treated you."

Jackie sighed. "He's the son of my dad's business partner. I've known Vince since I was a kid. I'm guessing everyone thinks that when we take over the family business, I should tie the knot with the guy."

"What makes you think that?"

"I don't know, but Vince has become pretty clingy lately. He's always been seeing me, trying to get me to go out with him. His parents are okay but Vince is just…" Jackie shivered at the thought.

"And your parents? What do they think?" Lloyd asked.

"They haven't said anything, but they like Vince anyway. They just haven't seen his bad side yet."

"That sucks."

"Yeah, no kidding."

"Well, you better tell them about his bad side then. Maybe that'll get him off your back."

"Hmmm. Maybe."

Lloyd's dragon landed on a high peak. Jackie hopped off, taking in the scenery. "What is this place?"

"Just one of the tallest places of all of Ninjago," replied Lloyd. "Ever heard of the Mountain of a Million Steps?"

Jackie whistled. "Only in history books. Mmm, Smell that mountain air." She spread her arms wide and felt the breeze blow through her face. She then removed her maroon cap revealing her long, brown wavy hair. Lloyd felt his cheeks heat up and turned away in an attempt to hide it.

"I'm glad you like it here… 'Jack' or 'Jackie?'" Lloyd said.S

"Lyn."

"What?" Lloyd looked at her with a puzzled look.

"My real nickname. It's 'Lyn.'"

Lloyd's confusion lingered in his face. Lyn chuckled. "My real, full name is Jacquelyn. Only Vince calls me by the horrid name 'Jackie'.

"Okay then. I'm glad you like it up here, Lyn."

Lloyd and Lyn spent the rest of the afternoon talking about their families, friends, and interests. Lloyd learned that Lyn was movie buff and loved the outdoors. Lyn found out that Lloyd had a sweet tooth and had formerly released the Serpentine, which eventually awakened his destiny. They enjoyed talking so much that they hardly noticed the time. They only realized it when the sun began to set.

"We should probably get going," Lloyd said.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Lyn replied. "I still have to explain to my parents what happened at the noodle house."

The ride to Lyn's house was smooth, fast and quiet. Lyn lived on the penthouse in one of Ninjago's most luxurious towers. Lyn requested to be dropped off at the balcony to which Lloyd agreed. Lyn got off Lloyd's dragon. "Thanks for today, Lloyd. I had fun."

"Me too. See you soon, Lyn," Lloyd prepared to ascend when Lyn called after him. She then disappeared inside the house. Moments later, she came back with something small in her hand and gave it to Lloyd.

"It's a paper star," said Lloyd.

"I used to have a tradition that whenever I would find someone whom I believed to be a true friend, I'd give them a paper star. I know it sounds childish, but I think I found a true friend today." Lyn gave Lloyd a hug. Lloyd felt himself blush once more and he felt his heart beat quicken.

"Goodnight, Lloyd Garmadon."

Lloyd returned to the Bounty and found everyone already there. Kai was texting on his phone. Cole was on the couch holding his stomach, obviously from too much cake. Zane was in the kitchen preparing dinner, while Jay was with Nya at the dinner table conversing. Sensei Wu was obviously in his room.

Lloyd was heading to their room when Jay spotted him. "Hey, Lloyd. How'd Valentine's Day go for ya?"

Lloyd looked back at him before entering the room. "It was nice." He closed the door behind him. This caught all the boys' attention.

"Excuse me?" said Kai. "Did Lloyd just say Valentine's Day was nice?"

"Oh, something's definitely going on," Cole chimed in.

"What exactly is going on?" Zane joined in, poking his head from the kitchen.

"We think Lloyd may have met someone interesting today," Jay replied slyly. The four ninja headed to their sleeping quarters only to be blocked by Nya.

"Come on Nya, what gives?" complained Jay.

"Give him his space guys," Nya told them. All the guys groaned at this.

Lloyd listened on the other end and smirked. 'Thanks Nya.' He lay on his bed admiring the paper star Lyn gave him. He then noticed there were markings inside the paper, like something was written on them. He slowly unfolded the star until it was a strip of paper.

"Thanks for again for today, Lloyd. Thanks for being the one person who would listen and treat me for being me. Hope we can hang out again soon. Lyn" Lloyd then spotted a couple of digits on the far end of the strip. A smile crept to his lips. 'Definitely going to see you again, Lyn.'

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 _ **So there you have it. I know it's not romance-ish but I wanted them to start out as friends and hopefully they'll start falling for each other and that kind of stuff. Aaaand this is my first time to try writing in the romance genre. I hope you guys liked it! I don't know if I should continue this though. If you think I should, please do tell me.**_

 _ **And about my Titanium Knight story, Chapter 3 is still in the works. I've hit a rut and I'm having trouble with my story line. So please bear with me. I'll have the chapter up as soon as I can. Thank you :) ~ Snowflakeshard**_


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